Fox has ordered the series from 'Beyond the Lights' producers Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Rock Bythewood.
Fox has ordered Shots Fired, a new event series from Beyond the Lights producers Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Rock Bythewood, that will examine the aftermath of racially-charged shootings in a small Tennessee town.
Sanaa Lathan, who most recently starred in The Perfect Guy and The Best Man Holiday, will headline the new drama as an expert investigator.
OP-ED: 'Dear White People' Producer Lena Waithe Calls Out 'Deadline' Casting Story
“Gina and Reggie have crafted a profoundly moving portrayal of a timely and sensitive issue that pervades our culture at this very moment,” said Fox Broadcasting’s President of Entertainment David Madden said on Thursday. “This is not only an important story to tell, but also an explosive mystery-thriller, and we couldn’t be in better hands both with the creative team behind this, along with the very talented Sanaa Lathan leading the cast.”
In Shots Fired, Lathan’s character will team up with a special prosecutor, sent to the town by the Department of Justice, to seek justice amidst social unrest and scrutiny from both the media and the public.
TV: 'Scandal' Tackles Ferguson Controversy With Episode Centered on Police Shooting
Earlier this year, ABC's Scandal tackled racially-motivated crime in an episode based on the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. While the episode ended on a hopeful note, with the guilty police officer behind bars, executive producer Shonda Rhimes admitted that she struggled with the creative decision.
“In the end, we went with showing what fulfilling the dream SHOULD mean,” Rhimes tweeted after the episode. “The idea of possibility. And the despair we feel now.”
Shots Fired will debut in 2016.
WATCH: Salma Hayek: Racism in America Is the 'Big Elephant in the Room'